A cashier from Florida has been caught trying to steal a $600 winning lottery ticket in an undercover sting. Crystelle Baton worked at the Winn-Dixie Liquors store in Fort Meyers in Florida where she tried to cheat a customer out of a $600 lottery win, unlucky for her, the customer was actually an undercover lottery agent.

Baton was manning the register when the ‘customer’ entered the shop, handing over a lottery ticket to be checked. The ticket was worth $600, but the shop assistant handed over a $5 prize from her own purse, telling the customer that was the value of the ticket.

The customer who was actually a lottery agent left the store, then returned to arrest Baton. The $600 lottery ticket was found hidden inside her notebook and she was charged with grand theft larceny. She’s due back in court to answer the charges at the end of February.

Lottery officials say it wasn’t so much a sting, more a routine integrity investigation, a routine operation that ensures that ticket sellers are running the games the way they should be. Baton was caught up in this, and this type of lottery fraud is exactly what they are looking for.

If you play the lottery, any lottery around the world then it can be tempting to hand your ticket to the cashier and let them check it for you. But really, the safest way to ensure you get any winnings due to you is to check each number carefully yourself.

A Winn-Dixie spokesman said that the company is taking this matter very seriously, and that trust and safety in their highest priority.